The Importance of Sleep

No, I’m not talking about sleeping with your book beneath your pillow. Getting a good night’s sleep helps the brain form and keep memories. How? A well-rested brain is better at encoding.

Sleep also helps us strengthen and maintain the networks of memories we have recently formed. While you sleep, the brain reactivates the memories you worked on during the day, a form of mental exercise that knits those memories more deeply into your network of connections. Even a short period of daytime sleep can trigger the consolidation process that helps stabilize new memories in the brain.

Avoid tea/coffee etc. to alert your mind. One study found that a 60- to 90-minute nap boosted memory significantly more than a 200- to 300-mg dose of caffeine. Sure, caffeine makes you feel more alert, but a nap actually helps you strengthen the memories you’ve studied so hard to create.